Finally got a dinghy

I've owned O Sea D for a year now and haven't been able to get off and explore any of the Boston Harbor Islands. I purchased an inflatable dinghy from Coastal Inflatables. Their boats are nicely designed and reasonably priced.

I also picked up a Lehr 2.5hp propane-powered outboard. I like the idea of propane power so I don't have to deal with smelly gasoline. It's a little underpowered, but is fine for getting to and from the boat while at anchor or mooring. We've had some fun exploring down the river past the Braintree Yacht Club, a place where I can't get to with O Sea D.

First time on Peddocks

Moored off of Peddocks

Christian at the helm

Dylan's turn

First sail of 2016

It was great to finally get in a sail after the chilly weekend. My girlfriend and I left at 6:30pm and had a great sail around Peddock's island and spent a good 5 hours sailing. Anchored off of Peddocks for a bit, had some pizza and drinks. 

This was Ann Marie's first time sailing. She used to own a 40' Mainship, so this was definitely a different experience for her. I was nervous she wouldn't like it, but she ended up loving it.

Perfect weather and we saw speeds of over 8 knots at some points. 

Ann Marie's first time sailing, she did great!

First time to the top of the mast

I arrived to the boatyard over the winter and found my Windex windvane sitting on the ground next to O Sea D. It must have fatigued over the years and snapped off during some high winds. Time to go to the top of the mast!

I have an ATN Mast Climber I purchased last year. I have gone almost half way up to repair a burned out steaming light (or so I thought), so I was a bit intimidated to go all the way up. All in all, it wasn't bad.

I replaced the Windex and put in 2 LED bulbs to replace the standard bulbs in the anchor light, because, hey why not?

I attached the halyards to a line attached to the toe rail with some climbing carabiners

Hello down there!

Almost there

On the way back down

2016 Launch!!

I was one of the last boats out of the water in the fall in November. The boat yard told me "you're the last one out, you'll be the first one in". Perfect, my marina allows me to come in on May 1, so I finished all my work to have it ready by that date.

But...they had put another boat in front of me. I saw someone painting the bottom and waxing the hull, so I thought he would be out soon. I asked him when his splash date was and he told me May 15th (sad face). The boat yard has a policy that everyone has to be ready to launch by May 15th or they would be responsible to have their boat moved, so I figured I was stuck in until then.

I called the boat yard for clarification adn they told me he was going in on Friday, May 6th, so I quickly made plans to launch on Saturday, May 7th. High tide was at noon, so it would work out perfectly.

In the meantime, I saw this video of a sailboat falling off a trailer after being pulled from the water. It's a crazy video.

The guys show up to put my boat in and they start moving the jack stands. My boat starts leaning alarmingly over and all I can envision is it falling over like the sailboat in the video. They grabbed 2 more jack stands and used them to brace it, eventually straightening it out again. I wish I brought a clean pair of underwear.

The rest was uneventful. I was a bit nervous sitting in the boat as they backed me down the ramp after seeing that video. Note to self - before launching, don't go down a Youtube "boat fail" rabbit hole.

The port side stand has lifted off the ground

Leaning to the left and the back stand isn't in contact with the hull

Backing down the ramp

Motoring off to my slip. It's cold and foggy.

Ahhhh, good to be back!!

Playing around with my drone at Thayer's Landing

My Windex wind indicator somehow broke over the winter. Climbing the mast is in order.

Projects to be completed before 2016 launch

I purchased O Sea D last year and when I took delivery, she was already in the water. I had some projects I wanted to complete before launch.

The keel had some rust spots. I used a rotary wire brush to knock the rust off and then used an epoxy paint to stop it from coming back.

Umm, not sure when the previous owners changed the air filter

Making meth like Walter White or sanding the bottom?

Sanded this down and repainted. An after picture would have been nice

Starting to paint

Custom Winter Cover

I was having a hard time finding someone to cover a boat with the mast up, so I decided to go with a custom winter cover from Fairclough Sailmakers. I went with a boom tent cover and the cost was reasonable at ~ $1,800. I figure I'll have this boat for several years and I can put it up and take it down when I want. It might also add to the resale value of the boat.

Round 1

I rushed out of the office during lunch so I could install the cover after it arrived via UPS. I had waiting longer than I should have to order it. After last year's crazy winter, I was thinking I might miss my opportunity to get this installed before heavy snows arrived. I started installing it and was having a hell of a time and I started thinking they didn't account for the lower shroud. I called and they tried walking me through the installation, but it wasn't until I sent them pictures they realized they made a mistake. I had to box it up and send it back, but luckily they turned it around quickly.

Hmmm, this doesn't look right

Round 2

Once I received it back, it went on easily and looks quite nice.

Not sure I'll ever get it folded back down this small

Looks good!

Halyard adds tension to help the snow slide off

It has an access door built in, so this will make it easy to do work inside during the winter.

Wet sanding, compounding, polishing, glazing, waxing = sore elbows

The hull needed was in need of a good cleanup. I read the directions "Tips for a Great Buff Wax" from Maine Sails on Sailboatowners.com and bought all the supplies listed, including the Makita rotary buffer.

It took a lot of elbow grease and a full day of work, but the results are definitely worth it!

Looking dirty and tired

Wet sanding

I did a test patch to see if it would make a big difference. Yup!

Shiny!

Before and after new decals

Can you tell which side has been wet sanded, compounded, polished and waxed? (Hint - port side)